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Top 10 Highlights of the 2022 MLB Season

Basepath blunders, a legend's jersey, a young fan's catch and more.

Steve Drumwright
Baseball 11/22/2022

Whether you see it in person, on Twitter, on Instagram or on TikTok, watching a great baseball play has a bit of artistry to it. But there are also moments that could be between pitches, before the game or in the stands that stick with us for one reason or another.

And with an array of electronic devices being everywhere, more and more viral events pop up in our feeds each day. Baseball, perhaps more than any other sport, is better-suited for those types of moments. There is more of a relaxed mood around the game between pitches.

2022 brought its own vibe and this list of highlights is just my opinion of moments to remember from the season. I’m sure you have your own.

While many of the moments here are light-hearted or fun, our list starts with missing an old friend and the many memories he created each time he was behind the mic.

 

1. It’s Time to Remember a Legend

 

When Vin Scully died Aug. 2 at age 94, it was as if a piece of baseball was gone forever. After all, Scully had been the voice of the Dodgers — Brooklyn and Los Angeles — for 67 seasons before retiring after the 2016 season. Regardless of what team you rooted for, his soothing voice was instantly recognizable and you just wondered what fantastic tale was going to be the next one he was going to tell. This Dodgers video is just a snippet of his Hall of Fame career.

 

2. Wishes Do Come True

 

Fans bring all kinds of signs to games, many just showing support for their favorite player or team, others with outlandish desires such as marriage (you know who you are!). But sometimes, just being in the right spot at the right time and catching that player’s eye will result in a wish being fulfilled. With the St. Louis Cardinals visiting Wrigley Field for a series against the Chicago Cubs in August, this young Cards fan — wearing a Yadier Molina shirsey — wanted to trade tops with Albert Pujols. The slugger obliged. The look of astonishment on the kid’s face is priceless. But looks like Pujols was left without the Molina shirsey.

 

3. A Doggone Home Run

 

It was just another home run for New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, coming in the second game of an Oct. 4 doubleheader against the Washington Nationals, but it went viral because of who wound up with the ball. On Bark at the Park Night at Citi Field in New York, a golden retriever named Renegade outdueled the other spectators in the right-field stands for the souvenir, which is just another toy for the doggo.

 

4. Catch Of His Life

 

When you and your buds go to the ballpark, you only dream of having a cool moment, especially when you are sitting way down the right-field line. One kid at the June 16 Nationals-Phillies game at Nationals Park had more than a cool moment when he made this catch of a Nelson Cruz foul ball.

 

5. Never Make An Out At Third

 

Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez was crowned American League Rookie of the Year last week. That doesn’t mean everything went swimmingly for the uber-talented Dominican product. Rodriguez used his keen batting eye to lace a liner to left-center field in a July 8 game against the Toronto Blue Jays. With his terrific speed, he was thinking triple all the way. One problem: His feet betrayed him.

 

6. It’s Just A Game

 

Joe Musgrove and Chad Kuhl got to know each other pretty well as teammates with the Pittsburgh Pirates. But now that they are on other teams — Musgrove with the San Diego Padres and Kuhl with the Colorado Rockies — their time together is much more rare. So when the Rockies visited the Padres on June 10 and they were the respective starting pitchers, the pair took the opportunity to catch up with a game of tic-tac-toe on the back of the Petco Park mound. Musgrove said the game wasn’t planned, but he drew the board and put an X in the bottom-left corner to open. The game ended in a draw. The tic-tac-toe game, that is. The Padres won 9-0.

 

7. Expecting An Important Call

 

We all have that moment where we can’t find our cellphone during a key moment. But what about when your device suddenly pops up where it shouldn’t? That is what happened Aug. 9 when Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Rodolfo Castro dove headfirst into third base against the Arizona Diamondbacks and his cellphone popped out of his pocket. Personal electronic devices aren’t allowed in the dugout or on the field and while the moment was funny, Castro was suspended one game and fined for the violation. Castro said he had pocketed the device when he was in the clubhouse and didn’t realize it was still on him.

 

8. Mixing It Up

 

A career as a professional athlete doesn’t last that long in the grand scheme of things. Many use the connections they develop to get ready for when their playing days are over. Lourdes Gurriel took that skill development to another level during the Toronto Blue Jays‘ 28-5 win over the Boston Red Sox on July 22. While he tied a club record with six hits in the rout, whether or not he becomes a successful bartender is another story.

 

9. The Oscar For Best Soccer Player Goes To …

 

It is really a lose-lose situation when a position player comes in to pitch late in a blowout. The hitter is expected to mash whatever is thrown to him and the not-quite-a-pitcher is expected to just get outs. Odd things tend to happen. One such occurrence took place April 12 with the Atlanta Braves leading the Nationals 14-3 in the eighth inning. Nationals infielder Dee Strange-Gordon, son of former MLB pitcher Tom “Flash” Gordon, took the mound and was facing Travis d’Arnaud when this 52-mph offering didn’t exactly cross the plate. The flop earned all 10s, except from the Russian judge, who gave it a 4.

 

10. I Believe in Dramatic Endings

 

Last, but for a reason. In the last game of the regular season, Oakland A’s catcher Stephen Vogt played the final game of his 10-year major-league career. The two-time All-Star’s day was special, as his three kids announced him before his first plate appearance. A popular locker room figure who enjoyed dressing up as a basketball referee and impersonating Will Ferrell, Vogt was beloved by fans, especially A’s backs who serenaded to the chant of “I believe in Stephen Vogt!” Well, in what can only be described as a storybook moment, Vogt drilled a solo homer against the Los Angeles Angels in the seventh inning in what would be his final MLB at-bat. He became the 10th player in the Expansion Era (since 1961) to have his first and last career hit be a home run.

 

Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Doug Carlin (@Bdougals on Twitter)

Steve Drumwright

Steve Drumwright is a lifelong baseball fan who retired as a player before he had the chance to be cut from the freshman team in high school. He recovered to become a sportswriter and have a successful journalism career at newspapers in Wisconsin and California. Follow him on Twitter and Threads @DrummerWrites.

2 responses to “Top 10 Highlights of the 2022 MLB Season”

  1. Bryan says:
    November 22, 2022 at 5:39 PM

    Awesome article!

    Reply

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